Swans are an American experimental rock band formed in 1982 by singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Michael Gira. One of few acts to emerge from the New York City-based no wave scene and stay intact into the next decade, Swans have become recognized for an ever-changing sound, exploring genres such as noise rock, post-punk, industrial and post-rock. Initially, their music was known for its sonic brutality and misanthropic lyrics. Following the addition of singer, songwriter and keyboardist Jarboe in 1986, Swans began to incorporate melody and intricacy into their music. Jarboe remained the band's only constant member except Gira and semi-constant guitarist Norman Westberg until their dissolution in 1997.
The Tragically Hip, often referred to simply as The Hip, were a Canadian rock band from Kingston, Ontario, consisting of vocalist Gord Downie, guitarist Paul Langlois, guitarist Rob Baker, bassist Gord Sinclair, and drummer Johnny Fay. They released 13 studio albums, two live albums, one EP, and 54 singles over a 33-year career. Nine of their albums have reached No. 1 on the Canadian charts. They have received numerous Canadian music awards, including 16 Juno Awards.
The Olivia Tremor Control is an American rock band that was prominent in the mid-to-late 1990s. It was, along with The Apples in Stereo and Neutral Milk Hotel, one of the three original projects of The Elephant 6 Recording Company. The band was founded by the remnants of the group Synthetic Flying Machine in 1994. The band went on hiatus in early 2000, and later reformed in 2009.
The Irish Rovers is a group of Irish musicians which originated in Toronto, Canada. Formed in 1963 and named after the traditional song "The Irish Rover" they are best known for their international television series, contributing to the popularisation of Irish Music in North America, and for the songs "The Unicorn", "Drunken Sailor", "Wasn't That a Party", "The Orange and the Green", "Whiskey on a Sunday", "Lily the Pink" and "The Black Velvet Band".
Serena Ryder is a Canadian musician. Born in Toronto, she grew up in Millbrook, Ontario. Ryder first gained national recognition with her ballad "Weak in the Knees" in 2007. An accomplished songwriter and musician, she also possesses a three-octave vocal range and is considered a mezzo-soprano. Her timbre has been described as slightly nasal with a raspy lower register.
Dan Mangan is a Vancouver-based Canadian musician. He has also been a contributing writer for The Guardian's Arts section, Montecristo Magazine and Huffington Post Canada, and has won two Juno Awards.
The Dudes are a Canadian indie rock band, formed in 1996 in Calgary, Alberta. Dan Vacon is The Dudes' major creative force in the band. The group also includes guitarist Bob Quaschnick, bassist Brock Geiger and newest member Matt Doherty on drums replacing Scott Ross.
Hot Little Rocket was a Canadian indie rock band based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The band consisted of vocalist and guitarist Andrew Wedderburn, guitarist Aaron Smelski, drummer Joel Nye, and bassists: Mark Macarthur, Pat May, and Matthew Swann.
Beija Flor is an indie rock band formed in 2003 from Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The band is made up of Stephen van Kampen, Paul van Kampen, Dan Wilson, Brett Gunther, Henry Hsieh, and Hoyee Wong. The band is also known for their self-orchestrated light show, consisting of a case of colored and strobe lights that are controlled by Stephen through a circuit of foot switches. "Beija-flor" means "hummingbird" in Portuguese.
The Rembetika Hipsters are a Canadian band based in Calgary, Alberta. They perform primarily Greek rebetiko music, as well as composing original music and exploring styles from Epirus, known as Epirotika, Smyrnaiko music from the region now known as Izmir, and Nisiotika music of the Greek islands.
A.Side TV is a Canadian English language specialty channel owned by Blue Ant Media, as the television version of the website music brand, A.Side, which launched in May 2017. The channel originally launched in 2009 and adopted its current name in 2017.
Serinda Swan is a Canadian actress. She is known for her work on television. In 2017, she starred in Marvel's Inhumans and HBO's Ballers, and also portrayed Anne Bancroft in the first season of Feud (2017). Previously, she starred as Paige Arkin in the USA Network series Graceland (2013–2015) and as Erica Reed in the A&E series Breakout Kings (2011–2012). She currently stars as Jenny Cooper in the CBC series Coroner.
All My Favorite Singers Are Willie Nelson is an album by Astral Swans, released in 2015 by Dan Mangan's Madic Records, an imprint of Arts & Crafts Productions. All My Favorite Singers Are Willie Nelson, was described by VICE as "a stark, beautiful project [...] steeped in 60s psych-folk mythology and loner punk iconography."
You Carry A Sickness / Park Street is a two song single by Astral Swans, released on vinyl in 2014 by Dan Mangan's Madic Records, an imprint of Arts & Crafts Productions. This single was in anticipation of Astral Swans's 2015 release All My Favorite Singers Are Willie Nelson.
The following musical events and releases are expected to happen in 2018 in Canada.
"What Are You Gonna Do With Yourself", released in March 2018 by Saved By Vinyl, Tiny Room Records, and Moorworks Records, was one of two singles for Astral Swans' 2018 release Strange Prison, as well as one of three commissioned videos.
Arcane Astral Aeons is the ninth full-length album by Norwegian gothic metal band Sirenia. It was released on 26 October 2018 through Napalm Records.
T. Buckley is the professional name of Canadian singer/songwriter Tim Buckley, who is based in Calgary, Alberta. He has recorded five studio albums of country music. In 2018 he leads the T. Buckley Trio. He is the older brother of singer-songwriter Mariel Buckley.
